Marcus Stroman

Was there really anyone out there who doubted that the 20th game of the season between the Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays would be anything but a tense, hard-fought struggle that would test the nerves of both managers and the mettle of both bullpens?

Remember, the season series and home-field advantage for Tuesday night's sudden-death American League wild-card game came down to a difference of one victory over 19 regular-season games.

So, anybody who sat down at game time thinking that the outcome was anything other than a coin flip had not been paying attention.

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